This invention relates to a mounting structure of a center pillar garnish, sash molding and belt line outer weather strip, mounted on a door body of an automobile.
A prior art will be described referring to FIGS. 1 and 2. Conventionally, there is provided an end cap 41 on a rear end of a belt line outer weather strip 42, which is installed to a front door panel 40 of an automobile, in consideration of an outlook.
In such conventional prior art, there is a problem in a close portion of the end cap 41, that is, a contacting portion between the belt line outer weather strip 42 and a center pillar garnish 43 installed to a center pillar portion 40a of a door panel 40 tends to move with each other because of a shrinkage and an expansion of resin materials which form those members, thus, deteriorating an outlook of the structure. Such problem arises because each member is molded individually, and after completion of installation, each member makes only a resilient contact with the other member while each member is unsecured to the door panel 40 (see FIG. 2).
Further, there has been a conventional structure wherein a lower end of a center pillar garnish (sash cover) is installed to a door panel with a clip. However, since the lower end of the sash cover is merely placed on the clip, there arises a displacement between them because of a shrinkage and an expansion of resin materials caused by a temperature variation. Further, there is another problem in this conventional structure that it cannot coordinate with any displacement developed in a mounting structure. (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-291762.)
This invention is made in the light of above mentioned problems which the conventional structure has. It is therefore the first object of this invention to provide a mounting structure of an automobile door, particularly a mounting structure formed in a lower end of a center pillar portion, comprising a rear end of a belt line outer weather strip and a lower end of a center pillar garnish both installed to a door panel, whose appearance is not deteriorated by a shrinkage and an expansion of resin materials forming those members by a temperature variation, and which is able to cooperate with a displacement of structure if such a structure is developed.
Another prior art will be described referring to FIG. 10. There is provided an end cap 41 on both a rear end of a sash molding 141 installed to a roof side of an automobile door body 101 and a rear end of a belt line outer weather strip 42 in consideration of an appearance.
There is also anther prior art in which three members, a sash molding 141, a center pillar garnish 43 and a belt line outer weather strip 42, are integrally formed.
However, according to the former prior art in which the end cap 41 is applied, the end cap 41 is formed individually and is installed individually, so that a production cost increases and a mounting operation becomes troublesome.
According to the latter prior art wherein three members are integrally formed, it is required to operate a molding operation using a large sized injection machine, so that the production cost increases. Further, since three members are integrally molded, the degree of freedom in an entire shape of the combined structure is restricted, thus a change of design is difficult to accomplish. Moreover, when a molding member made of such as stainless is to be mounted to increase its appearance, such an extra mounting operation is required as a succeeding operation, so that the production cost further increases.
This invention is made in the light of those problems, and therefore, it is the second object of this invention to provide a mounting structure of an automobile door formed with a sash molding and a center pillar garnish, as well as a sash molding, a center pillar garnish and a belt line outer weather strip, which are inexpensive in a production cost.